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Police visit Mosque for training |
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Thursday, 28 January 2010 |
Police in Wakefield are to be given an insight into the Islamic faith in a series of training sessions at a local mosque. Officers will attend one of six sessions being held at the Jamia Swafia Masjid mosque in Park Lodge Lane, Wakefield, aimed at increasing officers’ understanding of the Islamic faith as well as forging local contacts. They will be given an insight into Islam as well as a tour of the mosque and information about its role in the community. PHOTOCALL: Media are invited to the Jamia Swafia Masjid mosque in Park Lodge Lane at 12.30pm on Thursday January 28 where officers and other community representatives will be available for interviews and photos.
PC Richard Marsh, Wakefield District Police Community Engagement Officer, said: “The aim of the training is to equip officers with a basic understanding of Islam and how we interact with our communities. It is a tailormade training package for the police and will explain areas of the Muslim culture and religion in a way that will be useful in day to day policing.
“The police are about more than just enforcement - we need to engage fully with our communities. I feel this kind of training will go a long way in building relations with the minority ethnic population in Wakefield and show a true desire to become an effective and integral part of the communities we work in.”
Chief Inspector Dean Henson said: “This series of training sessions has many benefits for the police, our partners and our local Muslim faith community. It will give the opportunity for all staff and not just our Neighbourhood Policing Teams to gain a valuable insight around the faith of Islam. In addition we will be able to show how we engage with all our communities through our neighbourhood style approach to policing.”
Asad Malik, of the Jamia Swafia Masjid mosque committee, said: "Muslims have been living in Wakefield for five decades. The last census indicated they were about 3,500 Muslims living in the District making an important contribution to the economic, cultural and spiritual well being of the city.
"The Mosque can play a central role in the Muslim community not only as a place of worship and learning but for engaging with the wider community. Jamia Masjid Swafia is one of the mosques in Wakefield and was originally established in the 80s. Recently the locals using the mosque came together to raise the funding to enable an extensive building and refurbishment programme to create a more traditional look and feel for the mosque with a dome and minarets. We are proud to show off these improvements.
"We applaud all efforts to continue improving the relationship between Police and the local Muslim community. We at Swafia Mosque are delighted to facilitate this initiative aimed at improving the understanding of ordinary Police officers about the Islamic faith and how Muslims follow it. We believe this initiative and creating better links between the Police and Muslim community can only benefit everyone in Wakefield."
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